We decided to do our civic duty and watch the first democratic debate on TV yesterday. I went into it really looking for a reason to support Barack Obama - I think I am hoping to find the next inspirational Howard-Dean-like candidate for this election and had heard that Obama has some of the same charisma. After listening to 90 minutes of debate, I have formed my first true "opinions" about the candidates this season, and am somewhat surprised about my conclusions. My top four candidates (in order) after the debate are 1) Hillary Clinton, 2) Christopher Dodd, 3) John Edwards, and 4) Barack Obama (because I'm not ready to give up on him yet...).
In case you're interested, here are my thoughts, by candidate:
Dodd: I felt like he was very articulate, he actually ANSWERED the questions that were asked of him, and he seemed humble and intelligent. Specifically, I liked what he said about valuing diplomacy and accepting responsibility for mistakes.
Obama: He really frustrated me - I felt like he was avoiding answering the questions and was just veering off into a topic he wanted to talk about. And his biggest mistake so far was the Terri Schiavo case? Come on, there must be some legislation that affects a broader swath of America that you would change...
Kucinich: Sweet, hippie, elf-like nutcase.
Gravel: Make it a felony to be in Iraq? Accusing other candidates of wanting to nuke people? Whoa. Industrial-grade nutcase.
Edwards: Liked what he said about the importance of appointing supreme court justices during the next presidency. I like how he takes responsibility for his mistakes. I'm tired of hearing about his childhood in South Carolina, though...
Hillary: Really felt like she was trying to build consensus and not attack any of the other candidates up there. She seemed to be able to eloquently sum up opinions that the other candidates struggled with. I feel like she has really learned from her attempt at passing universal health care and I like that she cares about that issue. I also like her views on economics.
Biden: Best moment of the day with his "yes" answer, but I didn't like much else he said. I particularly didn't like his statement about appointing judges that share his views and values - sounds like another batch of activist judges to me.
Richardson: Didn't say anything to inspire me at all - I don't like his "no new taxes" agenda or his pro gun rights feelings.
So, did anyone else watch the debate? Thoughts? Am I way off base?
1 comment:
I didn't watch the debate, but I did see an interview with Richardson and was really turned off by his "I know everything about foreign policy" self-promotion. So I agree that he doesn't impress.
All that I know about Dodd is that he recently grandstanded to bail out people who are having mortgage issues... which would be really nice if I decided to bankrupt myself buying too much house, but as someone who didn't buy a house, I kind of think it's a really really stupid idea.
And, well, Hillary... she doesn't annoy me as much as she used to. She comes across as really reasonable in interviews and debates. For the most part what I'd seen of her was jumping in front of the cameras at just about every opportunity to express strong emotions about things that were mundane. But perhaps all politicians have to say how shocked they are at typical things and the cameras just point at her more often than at say, Christopher Dodd.
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